District 21
by GlasgowGirl92
Summary: This is a series of drabbles for me to try and get back into writing again. There will be a variety of themes, pairings and characters. Will be rated T to be safe. Down at the 21st District, there's never a dull moment.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: SO, here it is, the drabble series I'm going to be putting together. I found a collection of prompts on tumblr that I'm using, so hopefully this will stick and I'll be back into the swing of writing things.

Constructive Criticism is also welcomed, always, and I will deviate from the list if someone has another prompt :D

Many thanks!

xo

* * *

 ** _You ever seen those commercials where people screw up the simplest of tasks in the most idiotic fashion ever? Yeah, that's basically what happened here._**

Hailey blinked twice as she and Kim entered the bar, the atmospheric lighting in Molly's making her unsure if that was a huge bruise on Adam's face, or just a shadow. Jay must have noticed the look on her face, though, because he was struggling to keep a straight face and his entire resolve broke, along with Antonio and Kevin's when the girls approached the table.

"What the fuck, Adam?" Kim gasped, reaching out to touch his face, her reaction only caused Jay to throw his head back and laugh harder, Hailey joining in with the laughter without even knowing what the heck was so funny

"You ever seen those commercials where people screw up the simplest of tasks in the most idiotic fashion ever? Yeah, that's basically what happened here." Antonio smirked.

"I'm fine," Ruzek muttered, pulling his face away from Kim's hand and glaring at his team; causing Jay to smack the table in a bid to stop himself laughing so much. "It's not even that funny." He continued with his disgruntled rambling as he picked at the label on his beer.

"oh, bro, you know it is." Kevin smirked, wiping tears from his eyes and earning himself a glare that could have frozen hell.

"is not. I'm getting a round in, anyone want anything?" Adam asked, despite the fact his beer was mostly untouched.

"oh, no, princess, I'll carry." Jay said as he stood, eyes still lit with mischief and humour. Adam muttered a whole slew of profanities as he got up, shoving Jay when the other man held his arm out to steady him, grumbling the whole walk over to the bar.

Hailey was still grinning before Kim raised an eyebrow, "So, what the hell happened?" she asked, causing Kevin and Antonio to burst into another round of laughter and had her hanging her head in frustration.

They'd just come from the precinct where they'd been knee deep in paper work, giving the boys a whole 2 hour head start, due to the fact Platt had asked them to do her a favour which had left them in the streets for 3 hours running rings around themselves. The matter had been solved but the bullpen was quiet when they'd returned, the boys already out for the day.

"okay, one last time." Kim started, holding up her hand.

"I stepped on a brush." The voice was soft behind her and Jay shouldered through unceremoniously, almost dropping the tray of drinks onto the table through his fit of laughter.

"Come again?" Hailey asked as Jay ushered her onto his seat and Kim onto Adam's as he began to dish out the drinks.

"I stepped on a brush." Adam repeated, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and waiting out the snickering from his friends.

"A brush gave you that bruise on your face?" Kim asked slowly, as though she was trying to get all the information together.

" _Yes_." It was pained, quiet and the girls looked at each other again, Antonio shaking his head and taking a swig of beer.

"How?"

"Because I stepped on it."

"I get that. But, how did you come to step on it?"

"and Where?" Kim was leaning her head on Hailey's shoulder, both looking intently at Adam who was cursing under his breath and running a hand down his face.

"I was cleaning up," he began, "down beside the cage-" he pointed at Kim before she could say anything, "and then I might have, you know, stepped on the brush." He shrugged and Jay shook his head.

"No, no no no no, _Adam."_ Jay was laughing again, the giggle pouring from his mouth as he waved his hand about. "He didn't just step on the brush. Keep going. You gotta tell the story, the whole story and nothing but the story, so help you God."

Adam glared at Jay before letting out a long-suffering sigh, "We'd been clearing out the cars after the last op and it was a mess because Ja-HEY—" Adam smacked at Jay who had just punched him on the shoulder.

"I did not make it a mess!" Jay defended. "I am the _least_ messy person here." He motioned the group earning a nod from Antonio.

"Least messy my _ass,_ bro." Kevin interjected and Jay looked outraged.

"Oh, you tryna say that you're tidier than me. No-one drinks goddamned fruity energy drinks but you and we had _how_ many cans of that shit?"

"Right an who the hell eats _almonds_ , bro."

"They're delicious and nutritious!"

"And Adam stepped on a brush…." Kim stated, looking around the group who simultaneously burst out laughing again, except Adam, who was now looking at Kim with a ' _seriously'_ look on his face. Kim simply shrugged and grinned up at him. "The story."

"okay, so," Adam started again, getting a look from Jay before he continued. "And it was a mess, so we just threw everything out and put it on the floor so it was messy, but we detailed the car an then there was a lot of stuff so while Antonio drove it out into the lot, we started sweeping." Adam rubbed the back of his neck while Jay and Kevin sniggered.

Kim and Hailey both waited, tilting their head forward and Adam sighed.

"Fine, so, I was sweeping up what was left of the debris and balanced the brush against my thigh to bend down to put the dirt into the little pan thingy, overbalanced, stood on the brush, moved out of the way to avoid being smacked by my brush, tripped over the little pan thingy-"

"—while it was still in his hand," Antonio offered, a smug look on his face.

"Bro, you weren't even there how the heck would you know?" Adam asked, earning himself a look from Antonio and a groan of frustration from the girls. " _Anyway_ ," he huffed, "So, I tripped and put my arm out to balance myself, knocking the other brush over before I stepped on it and then hit myself in the face with it." He petered off and Hailey and Kim exchanged looks before laughing.

"It's really not that funny," he held his hands up while Jay and Kevin began to laugh. "Not as funny as they're making out it was."

Hailey and Kim began to laugh then, too, causing Adam to huff out another breath. "Why is it _that_ funny?"

"Because there's a vacuum cleaner in the closet?" Voight's voice carried over the group and the rambunctious laughter turned into soft snickering and Adam stood there in disbelief.

"You mean?" he stuttered, before turning incredulous eyes on Antonio, "You said!" he huffed, a laugh in his voice as he grabbed a handful of nuts from the table and threw it at Antonio who held us hands up as he laughed. "Aw, man."

Hailey shook her head as Hank grabbed a stool from another empty table and Jay called for a drink to be brought over for their boss, knowing he'd only have the one, but enjoying their team being together. Adam had his head in his hands as the others continued to laugh before he pointed at Antonio again.

"Dude, it is so on." He told him, waving his finger at his friend.

"Oh, bring it on."

"20 bucks says Adam is in Med by Monday." Jay offered, causing everyone to laugh again.

"Oh, no." Kevin shook his head, "I say we all put 20 in and then we pick an exact time."

"Hey! Antonio could end up in the hospital, you don't know!"

Ruzek's protest was met with another wall of laughter and a pile of twenties quickly piling up on the table as the group began to shout times and dates out.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, this one is slightly more...Angst ridden I'm afraid!

For those waiting for Playlist or Lullaby Updates, those are coming, I promise!

As always, reviews are appreciated!

xo

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I screwed up.

She's been here before; _seen_ this before, but every time still breaks her heart. She's never really been one for convention before, or bowing down to societal norms, but there's something about seeing Jay Halstead on the floor with large, tear filled eyes and a drink in her hand that absolutely tears at her own heart.

He was and always had been the epitome of put together, tough, solider. He was strong and gentle, but he was police first and a man second and she'd always admired that about him when it came down to the wire. He was loyal and fierce and dependable, and she never had to worry about him having her six.

But things had been tough lately for him, for everyone, but especially for him and she was honestly 100% surprised that he'd managed to hold it together this long. Saying nothing, she slipped down the wall beside him and picked up the bottle, taking a swig before topping up his glass.

"Shouldn't you be lecturing me right now about how I shouldn't be doing this?" Jay asked and he sounded so exhausted she wondered how in the heck he could even be sitting upright, but when she turned to look at him, she paused mid-thought at the depth of hurt in those baby blues.

"Probably." Is what she said eventually, after a beat, searching for what he wanted the answer to be.

"But you're not." He stated, taking a sip and looking back to the spot on the wall in the dark apartment that he was staring at when she came in.

"No." And really, she doesn't know why she's not because they're working tomorrow and if he keeps drinking like this, he's going to be hungover or still drunk when he gets there. With a weary sigh, she puts the bottle to her other side and sits there with him, staring at the wall as she waits for him to drain the glass.

"Why." It was whispered sometime later, in the darkness, and more of a statement than a question and it sounded broken and raw and as though it hurt for him to say it.

"Because everyone is allowed a little time, Jay." She whispers, turning to look at him again, prying the empty glass from his hand and placing it beside the bottle, replacing the glass with her hand and smiling softly when he took it.

"Not me." He says firmly, and she's so confused at the sheer resolution in his voice, the same voice that had carried the hurt moments before.

"Why don't you?"

"I screwed up." Jay states as he turns his eyes back to hers, swallowing hard before letting out a shaky breath. "I really fucked up this time."

She can tell he wants to sob, she can feel it coming off of him in waves but she knows he won't, because while she doesn't believe in societal norms and conventions, for whatever reason the man beside her does. The man beside her believes its his job to protect and serve and be strong and not to cry in front of anyone, not to hurt, not to show emotions. He's gotten better at it, recently, opening up to her and others about random things, but it lasts maybe a few minutes at a time.

Jay doesn't speak again, but he rests his head on her shoulder and she feels the warmth of his tears just where her shirt meets her shoulder as they sit there in the darkness and she swallows hard, linking their fingers together but saying nothing; knowing that neither one of them will mention this in the morning, just like they haven't mentioned all the other times this has happened, or when the roles have been reversed either. He wasn't the only loyal one in this partnership and if he needed her, she'd be there for him. No questions asked.


End file.
